Audio content auditioning

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are provided for playback of audio content in an “audition mode.” A system may be providing audio content to be rendered by a group of playback devices, when receiving a request to audition a second audio content with at least one playback device from the group of playback devices. The system may then suspend rendering of the first audio content at the at least one playback device, and provide the second audio content to be rendered by the at least one playback device for a duration of time. Upon exiting audition mode, either by completion of the second audio content, expiration of the duration of time, or request to exit audition mode, the system may resume rendering of the first audio content by the at least one playback device.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure is related to consumer goods and, more particularly, tosystems, products, features, services, and other items directed to mediaplayback or some aspect thereof.

BACKGROUND

Technological advancements have increased the accessibility of musiccontent, as well as other types of media, such as television content,movies, and interactive content. For example, a user can access audio,video, or both audio and video content over the internet through anonline store, an internet radio station, a music service, a movieservice, and so on, in addition to the more traditional avenues ofaccessing audio and video content. Demand for audio, video, and bothaudio and video content inside and outside of the home continues toincrease.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, aspects, and advantages of the presently disclosed technologyare better understood with regard to the following description, appendedclaims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows an illustration of an example system in which embodimentsof the methods and apparatus disclosed herein can be implemented;

FIG. 2A shows an illustration of an example zone player having abuilt-in amplifier and speakers;

FIG. 2B shows an illustration of an example zone player having abuilt-in amplifier and connected to external speakers;

FIG. 2C shows an illustration of an example zone player connected to anA/V receiver and speakers;

FIG. 3 shows an illustration of an example controller;

FIG. 4 shows an internal functional block diagram of an example zoneplayer;

FIG. 5 shows an internal functional block diagram of an examplecontroller;

FIG. 6A shows a first example interface for initiating audio contentplayback;

FIG. 6B shows a second example interface for initiating audio contentplayback; and

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative block diagram for providing audio contentauditioning.

FIG. 8A shows an illustrative example flow chart for beginning audiocontent auditioning.

FIG. 8B shows an illustrative example flow chart for terminating audiocontent auditioning.

In addition, the drawings are for the purpose of illustrating exampleembodiments, but it is understood that the present disclosure is notlimited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

I. Overview

Listening to audio content (e.g., music, talk radio, books, the audiofrom television, etc.) out loud may be a social activity that involvesfamily, friends, or both. For example, in a household, people may playmusic out loud at parties and other social gatherings. In such anenvironment, people may wish to play the music in multiple listeningzones simultaneously, such that the music in each listening zone may besynchronized, without audible echoes or glitches. Such an experience maybe further enriched when people may browse audio sources, add a musictrack to a playback queue, learn more about a music track (such as tracktitle or track artists), or view what music track is next in theplayback queue. Listening to audio content out loud may also be anindividual experience. For example, an individual may play music outloud for themselves in the morning before work, in the evening duringdinner, or at other times throughout the day at home, work, or on theroad. For these individual experiences, the individual may choose toeither use headphones, or limit the out loud playback of audio contentto a single zone or area.

For some people, discovery may also be an important element of the audioexperience. In some cases, discovery may involve friends telling eachother about their latest favorite new song or artist. In some othercases, discovery may also involve browsing music magazines andperiodicals that regularly review the latest releases. In addition, someonline music services, radio stations, and disc jockeys are also meansfor people to share and discover new music.

In the present application, systems and methods are provided to offer aunique wired, wireless, or both wired and wireless audio solution thatallows audio content to be played in a single listening zone or acrossmultiple listening zones simultaneously and in synchrony. The audiocontent may be played out loud or using headphones. In an example, sucha system may include audio players, often referred to as zone players orplayers, and controllers, which may also be a player. The controllersmay be used to control the system, and may include capabilities forbrowsing and selecting audio content for playback, viewing and editingaudio content in one or more playback queues, or grouping and ungroupingzone players into one or more listening zones, etc. In a sense, thesystem may operate as a distributed system such that each controller hasfull control over the entire system, and each player has the ability toplay audio content from the either a same audio source or a differentaudio source as another player.

The system may further be configured to operate in an “audition mode”such that a user may preview tracks or songs, radio stations, andstreaming content. In one example, a method is provided that comprisesproviding a first audio content to be rendered by a first group of oneor more playback devices, receiving input data indicating a request fora second audio content to be played for a duration of time by at leastone playback device from the first group of one or more playbackdevices, suspending rendering of the first audio content by the at leastone playback device, providing the second audio content to be renderedby the at least one playback device for the duration of time, andresuming rendering of the first audio content by the at least oneplayback device.

In another example, a device is provided. The device includes aprocessor and memory. The memory includes instructions stored thereinexecutable by the processor to perform functions. The performedfunctions comprise providing a first audio content to be rendered by afirst group of one or more playback devices, receiving input dataindicating a request for a second audio content to be played for aduration of time by at least one playback device from the first group ofone or more playback devices, suspending rendering of the first audiocontent by the at least one playback device, providing the second audiocontent to be rendered by the at least one playback device for theduration of time, and resuming rendering of the first audio content bythe at least one playback device.

In yet another example, a system is provided. The system includes one ormore audio content sources, one or more audio playback devices, acontroller, and a processing unit in communication with the audiocontent source, the one or more audio playback device, and thecontroller. The processing unit is configured to cause a first group ofone or more playback devices to render a first audio content from theone or more audio content sources. The processing unit is furtherconfigured to receive from the controller input data indicating arequest for a second audio content from the one or more audio contentsources to be played for a duration of time by at least one playbackdevice from the first group of one or more playback devices, cause oneor more of the playback devices from the first group of one or moreplayback devices to suspend rendering of the first audio content, causethe at least one playback device to render the second audio content forthe duration of time, and cause the one or more of the playback devicesfrom the first group of one or more playback devices to resume renderingof the first audio content.

With audition mode implemented on the system, as described above, a usermay have the option, while audio is playing from a group of zoneplayers, to select a music track or audio stream to preview on one ormore zone players from the group of zone players. Additionally, a usermay have the option, while audio is playing from a zone player or groupof zone players, to select a music track or audio stream to preview on asecond zone group consisting of at least one zone player from the firstzone group and at least one zone player that is not included in thefirst zone group. In other words, the second zone group in this case maybe temporarily established for the duration of audition mode. Seamlesstransitions when entering or exiting audition mode further allows theuser to preview the music track or audio stream with minimalinterruption to the music that may have been already playing.

II. An Example Operating Environment

Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals can refer to likeparts throughout the figures, FIG. 1 shows an example system 100 inwhich one or more embodiments disclosed herein can be practiced orimplemented.

By way of illustration, system 100 represents a home presentlyconfigured with multiple zones, though the home could have beenconfigured with only one zone. Each zone in the home, for example, mayrepresent a different room or space, such as an office, bathroom,bedroom, kitchen, dining room, family room, home theater room, utilityor laundry room, and patio. A single zone might also include multiplerooms if so configured. One or more of zone players 102-124 are shown ineach respective zone of the home. A zone player 102-124, also referredto as a playback device, multimedia unit, speaker, player, and so on,provides audio, video, and/or audiovisual output. Controller 130provides control to system 100. Controller 130 may be fixed to a zone,or alternatively, mobile such that it can be moved about the zones.System 100 may also include more than one controller 130. System 100illustrates an example whole house audio system, though it is understoodthat the technology described herein is not limited to its particularplace of application or to an expansive system like a whole house audiosystem 100 of FIG. 1.

A. Example Zone Players

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C show example types of zone players. Zone players200, 202, and 204 of FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C, respectively, can correspondto any of the zone players 102-124 of FIG. 1, for example. In someembodiments, audio is reproduced using only a single zone player, suchas by a full-range player. In some embodiments, audio is reproducedusing two or more zone players, such as by using a combination offull-range players or a combination of full-range and specializedplayers. In some embodiments, zone players 200-204 may also be referredto as a “smart speaker,” because they contain processing capabilitiesbeyond the reproduction of audio, more of which is described below.

FIG. 2A illustrates zone player 200 that includes sound producingequipment 208 capable of reproducing full-range sound. The sound maycome from an audio signal that is received and processed by zone player200 over a wired or wireless data network. Sound producing equipment 208includes one or more built-in amplifiers and one or more speakers. Abuilt-in amplifier is described more below with respect to FIG. 4. Aspeaker or acoustic transducer might include, for example, any of atweeter, a mid-range driver, a low-range driver, and a subwoofer. Insome embodiments, zone player 200 can be statically or dynamicallyconfigured to play stereophonic audio, monaural audio, or both. In someembodiments, zone player 200 is configured to reproduce a subset offull-range sound, such as when zone player 200 is grouped with otherzone players to play stereophonic audio, monaural audio, and/or surroundaudio or when the audio content received by zone player 200 is less thanfull-range.

FIG. 2B illustrates zone player 202 that includes a built-in amplifierto power a set of detached speakers 210. A detached speaker can include,for example, any type of loudspeaker. Zone player 202 may be configuredto power one, two, or more separate loudspeakers. Zone player 202 may beconfigured to communicate an audio signal (e.g., right and left channelaudio or more channels depending on its configuration) to the detachedspeakers 210 via a wired path.

FIG. 2C illustrates zone player 204 that does not include a built-inamplifier, but is configured to communicate an audio signal, receivedover a data network, to an audio (or “audio/video”) receiver 214 withbuilt-in amplification.

Referring back to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, one, some, or all of thezone players 102 to 124 can retrieve audio directly from a source. Forexample, a zone player may contain a playlist or queue of audio items tobe played. Each item in the queue may comprise a uniform resourceidentifier (URI) or some other identifier. The URI or identifier canpoint the zone player to the audio source. The source might be found onthe internet (e.g., the cloud), locally from another device over datanetwork 128, the controller 130, stored on the zone player itself, orfrom an audio source communicating directly to the zone player. In someembodiments, the zone player can reproduce the audio itself, send it toanother zone player for reproduction, or both where the audio is playedby the zone player and one or more additional zone players in synchrony.In some embodiments, the zone player can play a first audio content (ornot play at all), while sending a second, different audio content toanother zone player(s) for reproduction.

By way of illustration, SONOS, Inc. of Santa Barbara, Calif. presentlyoffers for sale zone players referred to as a “PLAY:5,” “PLAY:3,”“CONNECT:AMP,” “CONNECT,” and “SUB.” Any other past, present, and/orfuture zone players can additionally or alternatively be used toimplement the zone players of example embodiments disclosed herein.Additionally, it is understood that a zone player is not limited to theparticular examples illustrated in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C or to the SONOSproduct offerings. For example, a zone player might consist of a wiredor wireless headphone. In yet another example, a zone player mightinclude a sound bar for television. In yet another example, a zoneplayer can include or interact with a docking station for an Apple iPod™or similar device.

B. Example Controllers

FIG. 3 illustrates an example wireless controller 300 in docking station302. By way of illustration, controller 300 can correspond tocontrolling device 130 of FIG. 1. Docking station 302, if provided, maybe used to charge a battery of controller 300. In some embodiments,controller 300 is provided with a touch screen 304 that allows a user tointeract through touch with the controller 300, for example, to retrieveand navigate a playlist of audio items, control operations of one ormore zone players, and provide overall control of the systemconfiguration 100. In certain embodiments, any number of controllers canbe used to control the system configuration 100. In some embodiments,there can be a limit set on the number of controllers that can controlthe system configuration 100. The controllers might be wireless likewireless controller 300 or wired to data network 128.

In some embodiments, if more than one controller is used in system 100,then each controller may be coordinated to display common content, andmay all be dynamically updated to indicate changes made from a singlecontroller. Coordination might happen, for instance, by a controllerperiodically requesting a state variable directly or indirectly from oneor more zone players; the state variable may provide information aboutsystem 100, such as current zone group configuration, what is playing inone or more zones, volume levels, and other items of interest. The statevariable may be passed around on data network 128 between zone players(and controllers, if so desired) as needed or as often as programmed.

In addition, an application running on any network-enabled portabledevice, such as an iPhone™, iPad™, Android™ powered phone, or any othersmart phone or network-enabled device can be used as controller 130. Anapplication running on a laptop or desktop PC or Mac can also be used ascontroller 130. Such controllers may connect to system 100 through aninterface with data network 128, a zone player, a wireless router, orusing some other configured connection path. Example controllers offeredby SONOS, Inc. of Santa Barbara, Calif. include a “Controller 200,”“Sons CONTROL,” “Sons Controller for iPhone,” “Sons® Controller foriPad,” “Sons® Controller for Android, “Sonos® Controller for Mac or PC.”

C. Example Data Connection

Zone players 102 to 124 of FIG. 1 are coupled directly or indirectly toa data network, such as data network 128. Controller 130 may also becoupled directly or indirectly to data network 128 or individual zoneplayers. Data network 128 is represented by an octagon in the figure tostand out from other representative components. While data network 128is shown in a single location, it is understood that such a network isdistributed in and around system 100. Particularly, data network 128 canbe a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination of both wiredand wireless networks. In some embodiments, one or more of the zoneplayers 102-124 are wirelessly coupled to data network 128 based on aproprietary mesh network. In some embodiments, one or more of the zoneplayers 102-124 are wirelessly coupled to data network 128 using anon-mesh topology. In some embodiments, one or more of the zone players102-124 are coupled via a wire to data network 128 using Ethernet orsimilar technology. In addition to the one or more zone players 102-124connecting to data network 128, data network 128 can further allowaccess to a wide area network, such as the internet.

In some embodiments, connecting any of the zone players 102-124, or someother connecting device, to a broadband router, can create data network128. Other zone players 102-124 can then be added wired or wirelessly tothe data network 128. For example, a zone player (e.g., any of zoneplayers 102-124) can be added to the system configuration 100 by simplypressing a button on the zone player itself (or perform some otheraction), which enables a connection to be made to data network 128. Thebroadband router can be connected to an Internet Service Provider (ISP),for example. The broadband router can be used to form another datanetwork within the system configuration 100, which can be used in otherapplications (e.g., web surfing). Data network 128 can also be used inother applications, if so programmed. An example, second network mayimplement SonosNet protocol, developed by SONOS, Inc. of Santa Barbara.SonosNet represents a secure, AES-encrypted, peer-to-peer wireless meshnetwork. Alternatively, in certain embodiments, the data network 128 isthe same network, such as a traditional wired or wireless network, usedfor other applications in the household.

D. Example Zone Configurations

A particular zone can contain one or more zone players. For example, thefamily room of FIG. 1 contains two zone players 106 and 108, while thekitchen is shown with one zone player 102. In another example, the hometheater room contains additional zone players to play audio from a 5.1channel or greater audio source (e.g., a movie encoded with 5.1 orgreater audio channels). In some embodiments, one can position a zoneplayer in a room or space and assign the zone player to a new orexisting zone via controller 130. As such, zones may be created,combined with another zone, removed, and given a specific name (e.g.,“Kitchen”), if so desired and programmed to do so with controller 130.Moreover, in some embodiments, zone configurations may be dynamicallychanged even after being configured using controller 130 or some othermechanism.

In some embodiments, if a zone contains two or more zone players, suchas the two zone players 106 and 108 in the family room, then the twozone players 106 and 108 can be configured to play the same audio sourcein synchrony, or the two zone players 106 and 108 can be paired to playtwo separate sounds in left and right channels, for example. In otherwords, the stereo effects of a sound can be reproduced or enhancedthrough the two zone players 106 and 108, one for the left sound and theother for the right sound. In certain embodiments, paired zone players(also referred to as “bonded zone players”) can play audio in synchronywith other zone players in the same or different zones.

In some embodiments, two or more zone players can be sonicallyconsolidated to form a single, consolidated zone player. A consolidatedzone player (though made up of multiple, separate devices) can beconfigured to process and reproduce sound differently than anunconsolidated zone player or zone players that are paired, because aconsolidated zone player will have additional speaker drivers from whichsound can be passed. The consolidated zone player can further be pairedwith a single zone player or yet another consolidated zone player. Eachplayback device of a consolidated playback device is preferably set in aconsolidated mode.

According to some embodiments, one can continue to do any of: group,consolidate, and pair zone players, for example, until a desiredconfiguration is complete. The actions of grouping, consolidation, andpairing are preferably performed through a control interface, such asusing controller 130, and not by physically connecting and re-connectingspeaker wire, for example, to individual, discrete speakers to createdifferent configurations. As such, certain embodiments described hereinprovide a more flexible and dynamic platform through which soundreproduction can be offered to the end-user.

E. Example Audio Sources

In some embodiments, each zone can play from the same audio source asanother zone or each zone can play from a different audio source. Forexample, someone can be grilling on the patio and listening to jazzmusic via zone player 124, while someone is preparing food in thekitchen and listening to classical music via zone player 102. Further,someone can be in the office listening to the same jazz music via zoneplayer 110 that is playing on the patio via zone player 124. In someembodiments, the jazz music played via zone players 110 and 124 isplayed in synchrony. Synchronizing playback amongst zones allows forsomeone to pass through zones while seamlessly (or substantiallyseamlessly) listening to the audio. Further, zones can be put into a“party mode” such that all associated zones will play audio insynchrony.

Sources of audio content to be played by zone players 102-124 arenumerous. In some embodiments, music on a zone player itself may beaccessed and a played. In some embodiments, music from a personallibrary stored on a computer or networked-attached storage (NAS) may beaccessed via the data network 128 and played. In some embodiments,internet radio stations, shows, and podcasts can be accessed via thedata network 128. Music or cloud services that let a user stream and/ordownload music and audio content can be accessed via the data network128. Further, music can be obtained from traditional sources, such as amicrophone, a turntable or CD player, via a line-in connection to a zoneplayer, for example. Audio content can also be accessed using adifferent protocol, such as AirPlay™, which is a wireless technology byApple, Inc., for example. Audio content received from one or moresources can be shared amongst the zone players 102 to 124 via datanetwork 128 and/or controller 130. The above-disclosed sources of audiocontent are referred to herein as network-based audio informationsources. However, network-based audio information sources are notlimited thereto.

In some embodiments, the example home theater zone players 116, 118, 120are coupled to an audio information source such as a television 132. Insome examples, the television 132 is used as a source of audio for thehome theater zone players 116, 118, 120, while in other examples audioinformation from the television 132 can be shared with any of the zoneplayers 102-124 in the audio system 100.

III. Zone Players

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown an example block diagram of azone player 400 in accordance with an embodiment. Zone player 400includes a network interface 402, a processor 408, a memory 410, anaudio processing component 412, one or more modules 414, an audioamplifier 416, a microphone 422, and a speaker unit 418 coupled to theaudio amplifier 416. FIG. 2A shows an example illustration of such azone player. Other types of zone players may not include the speakerunit 418 (e.g., such as shown in FIG. 2B) or the audio amplifier 416(e.g., such as shown in FIG. 2C). Further, it is contemplated that thezone player 400 can be integrated into another component. For example,the zone player 400 could be constructed as part of a television,lighting, or some other device for indoor or outdoor use.

In some embodiments, network interface 402 facilitates a data flowbetween zone player 400 and other devices on a data network 128. In someembodiments, in addition to getting audio from another zone player ordevice on data network 128, zone player 400 may access audio directlyfrom the audio source, such as over a wide area network or on the localnetwork. In some embodiments, the network interface 402 can furtherhandle the address part of each packet so that it gets to the rightdestination or intercepts packets destined for the zone player 400.Accordingly, in certain embodiments, each of the packets includes anInternet Protocol (IP)-based source address as well as an IP-baseddestination address.

In some embodiments, network interface 402 can include one or both of awireless interface 404 and a wired interface 406. The wireless interface404, also referred to as an RF interface, provides network interfacefunctions for the zone player 400 to wirelessly communicate with otherdevices (e.g., other zone player(s), speaker(s), receiver(s),component(s) associated with the data network 128, and so on) inaccordance with a communication protocol (e.g., any of the wirelessstandards IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or 802.15). Wirelessinterface 404 may include one or more radios. To receive wirelesssignals and to provide the wireless signals to the wireless interface404 and to transmit wireless signals, the zone player 400 includes oneor more antennas 420. The wired interface 406 provides network interfacefunctions for the zone player 400 to communicate over a wire with otherdevices in accordance with a communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.3).In some embodiments, a zone player includes both of the interfaces 404and 406. In some embodiments, a zone player 400 includes only thewireless interface 404 or the wired interface 406.

In some embodiments, the processor 408 is a clock-driven electronicdevice that is configured to process input data according toinstructions stored in memory 410. The memory 410 is data storage thatcan be loaded with one or more software module(s) 414, which can beexecuted by the processor 408 to achieve certain tasks. In theillustrated embodiment, the memory 410 is a tangible machine-readablemedium storing instructions that can be executed by the processor 408.In some embodiments, a task might be for the zone player 400 to retrieveaudio data from another zone player or a device on a network (e.g.,using a URL or some other identifier). In some embodiments, a task mightbe for the zone player 400 to send audio data to another zone player ordevice on a network. In some embodiments, a task might be for the zoneplayer 400 to synchronize playback of audio with one or more additionalzone players. In some embodiments, a task might be to pair the zoneplayer 400 with one or more zone players to create a multi-channel audioenvironment. Additional or alternative tasks can be achieved via the oneor more software module(s) 414 and the processor 408.

The audio processing component 412 can include one or moredigital-to-analog converters (DAC), an audio preprocessing component, anaudio enhancement component or a digital signal processor, and so on. Insome embodiments, the audio processing component 412 may be part ofprocessor 408. In some embodiments, the audio that is retrieved via thenetwork interface 402 or the microphone 422 is processed and/orintentionally altered by the audio processing component 412. Further,the audio processing component 412 can produce analog audio signals. Theprocessed analog audio signals are then provided to the audio amplifier416 for play back through speakers 418. In addition, the audioprocessing component 412 can include necessary circuitry to processanalog or digital signals as inputs to play from zone player 400, sendto another zone player on a network, or both play and send to anotherzone player on the network. An example input includes a line-inconnection (e.g., an auto-detecting 3.5 mm audio line-in connection).

The audio amplifier 416 is a device(s) that amplifies audio signals to alevel for driving one or more speakers 418. The one or more speakers 418can include an individual transducer (e.g., a “driver”) or a completespeaker system that includes an enclosure including one or more drivers.A particular driver can be a subwoofer (for low frequencies), amid-range driver (middle frequencies), and a tweeter (high frequencies),for example. An enclosure can be sealed or ported, for example. Eachtransducer may be driven by its own individual amplifier.

A commercial example, presently known as the PLAY:5, is a zone playerwith a built-in amplifier and speakers that is capable of retrievingaudio directly from the source, such as on the internet or on the localnetwork, for example. In particular, the PLAY:5 is a five-amp,five-driver speaker system that includes two tweeters, two mid-rangedrivers, and one woofer. When playing audio content via the PLAY:5, theleft audio data of a track is sent out of the left tweeter and leftmid-range driver, the right audio data of a track is sent out of theright tweeter and the right mid-range driver, and mono bass is sent outof the subwoofer. Further, both mid-range drivers and both tweeters havethe same equalization (or substantially the same equalization). That is,they are both sent the same frequencies, just from different channels ofaudio. Audio from internet radio stations, online music and videoservices, downloaded music, analog audio inputs, television, DVD, and soon, can be played from the PLAY:5.

IV. Controller

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown an example block diagram forcontroller 500, which can correspond to the controlling device 130 inFIG. 1. Controller 500 can be used to facilitate the control ofmulti-media applications, automation and others in a system. Inparticular, the controller 500 may be configured to facilitate aselection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network andenable control of one or more zone players (e.g., the zone players102-124 in FIG. 1) through a wireless or wired network interface 508.According to one embodiment, the wireless communications is based on anindustry standard (e.g., infrared, radio, wireless standards IEEE802.11a, 802.11b 802.11g, 802.11n, or 802.15). Further, when aparticular audio is being accessed via the controller 500 or beingplayed via a zone player, a picture (e.g., album art) or any other data,associated with the audio and/or audio source can be transmitted from azone player or other electronic device to controller 500 for display. Inone example, the controller may be used for entering and in some cases,exiting audition mode. Further details relating to the use of thecontroller for entering and exiting audition mode is provided in a latersection.

Controller 500 is provided with a screen 502 and an input interface 514that allows a user to interact with the controller 500, for example, tonavigate a playlist of many multimedia items and to control operationsof one or more zone players. The input interface 514 may be coupled to amicrophone 516 for capturing audio signals, such as audio content orvoice commands as control inputs. The screen 502 on the controller 500can be an LCD screen, for example. The screen 500 communicates with andis commanded by a screen driver 504 that is controlled by amicrocontroller (e.g., a processor) 506. The memory 510 can be loadedwith one or more application modules 512 that can be executed by themicrocontroller 506 with or without a user input via the user interface514 to achieve certain tasks. In some embodiments, an application module512 is configured to facilitate grouping a number of selected zoneplayers into a zone group and synchronizing the zone players for audioplay back. In some embodiments, an application module 512 is configuredto control the audio sounds (e.g., volume) of the zone players in a zonegroup. In operation, when the microcontroller 506 executes one or moreof the application modules 512, the screen driver 504 generates controlsignals to drive the screen 502 to display an application specific userinterface accordingly.

The controller 500 includes a network interface 508 that facilitateswired or wireless communication with a zone player. In some embodiments,the commands such as volume control and audio playback synchronizationare sent via the network interface 508. In some embodiments, a savedzone group configuration is transmitted between a zone player and acontroller via the network interface 508. The controller 500 can controlone or more zone players, such as 102-124 of FIG. 1. There can be morethan one controller for a particular system and each controller mayshare common information with another controller, or retrieve the commoninformation from a zone player, if such a zone player storesconfiguration data (e.g., such as a state variable). Further, acontroller can be integrated into a zone player.

It should be noted that other network-enabled devices such as aniPhone®, iPad® or any other smart phone or network-enabled device (e.g.,a networked computer such as a PC or Mac® can also be used as acontroller to interact or control zone players in a particularenvironment. In some embodiments, a software application or upgrade canbe downloaded onto a network-enabled device to perform the functionsdescribed herein.

In certain embodiments, a user can create a zone group (also referred toas a bonded zone) including at least two zone players from thecontroller 500. The zone players in the zone group can play audio in asynchronized fashion, such that all of the zone players in the zonegroup play back an identical audio source or a list of identical audiosources in a synchronized manner such that no (or substantially no)audible delays or hiccups could be heard. Similarly, in someembodiments, when a user increases the audio volume of the group fromthe controller 500, the signals or data of increasing the audio volumefor the group are sent to one of the zone players and causes other zoneplayers in the group to be increased together in volume.

A user via the controller 500 can group zone players into a zone groupby activating a “Link Zones” or “Add Zone” soft button, or de-grouping azone group by activating an “Unlink Zones” or “Drop Zone” button. Forexample, one mechanism for ‘joining’ zone players together for audioplay back is to link a number of zone players together to form a group.To link a number of zone players together, a user can manually link eachzone player or room one after the other. For example, assume that thereis a multi-zone system that includes the following zones: Bathroom,Bedroom, Den, Dining Room, Family Room, and Foyer.

In certain embodiments, a user can link any number of the six zoneplayers, for example, by starting with a single zone and then manuallylinking each zone to that zone.

In certain embodiments, a set of zones can be dynamically linkedtogether using a command to create a zone scene or theme (subsequent tofirst creating the zone scene). For instance, a “Morning” zone scenecommand can link the Bedroom, Office, and Kitchen zones together in oneaction. Without this single command, the user would need to manually andindividually link each zone. The single command might include a mouseclick, a double mouse click, a button press, a gesture, or some otherprogrammed action. Other kinds of zone scenes can be programmed.

In certain embodiments, a zone scene can be triggered based on time(e.g., an alarm clock function). For instance, a zone scene can be setto apply at 8:00 am. The system can link appropriate zonesautomatically, set specific music to play, and then stop the music aftera defined duration. Although any particular zone can be triggered to an“On” or “Off” state based on time, for example, a zone scene enables anyzone(s) linked to the scene to play a predefined audio (e.g., afavorable song, a predefined playlist) at a specific time and/or for aspecific duration. If, for any reason, the scheduled music failed to beplayed (e.g., an empty playlist, no connection to a share, failedUniversal Plug and Play (UPnP), no internet connection for an internetRadio station, and so on), a backup buzzer can be programmed to sound.The buzzer can include a sound file that is stored in a zone player, forexample.

V. Audio Content Auditioning

In an example system such as the one shown in FIG. 1, where multiplezone players such as those shown in FIG. 2 and/or FIG. 4 are indifferent zones or zone groups and may be playing one or more audiocontents at the same time, the ability to preview audio content withminimal disruption to existing playback may be valuable.

As suggested previously, “audition mode” differs from conventionalplayback options such as “Play Now” or “Play Next” because, unlike theseplayback options that may substantially and/or possibly permanentlyalter the playback queue when new audio content is selected, auditionmode is designed to temporarily suspend the current playback in a zoneor group of zones without permanently altering the existing playbackqueue or audio stream. In other words, when “audition mode” isterminated, the suspended playback may be resumed without substantiallyaffecting the original playback queue or audio stream. Illustrativeexamples of the audio content auditioning concept, as applied todifferent scenarios and different system devices are discussed below.

A. Audition Mode

The example audio content auditioning method may be implemented on anexample system such that one or more users may, among other things,preview tracks or songs, radio stations, streaming content.

In the example system, audio content playback in a regular mode may bedone by adding tracks to a playback queue and selecting “Play,” usingone or more controllers, such as the controller shown in FIGS. 3 and/orFIG. 5, and via the example controller interfaces 600 and 650 of FIGS.6A and 6B, respectively. This may be done in multiple steps, forexample, by first adding a track to the queue using the “Play Next” or“Add to Queue” option provided on the controller, followed by selectingthe “Play” option. Alternatively, this may be done, for example, in asingle step by selecting a track using the “Play Now” option on thecontroller that adds the track to the queue and automatically beginsplaying the track.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show a first example interface 600 and a second exampleinterface 650, respectively, for initiating audio content playback,according to an embodiment of the present application. In one example,the first example interface 600 and second example interface 650 may beprovided on the screens 304 and/or 502 of the controllers 300 and/or500, respectively. As shown in the first example interface 600, a firstlist of options 602 for playback of audio content may be provided forthe user to choose from when the user selects the second audio contentfor playback. The first list of options 602 may include the options of“Play Now,” “Play Next,” “Audition (30 sec),” “Add to Queue,” and“Replace Queue.” A second list of options 652 shown in the secondexample interface 650 may be provided for the user to choose from whenthe user selects the second audio content for playback, and may includethe options of only “Play Now” and “Audition (30 sec).”

In the example system, the playback queue may include, for each track, auniform resource locator (URL) identifying where the content is located.Further, the audio content may be located on a device in the local areanetwork (LAN) or it may reside in the “cloud” over the Internet. Asadditional audio tracks are selected, the tracks may be added to theplayback queue such that the tracks may be played following an order(e.g., sequentially or in random order). In one example, there may be aplayback queue for each zone or zone group.

In addition to playing audio tracks from a playback queue, the examplesystem may also play audio streams directly without adding them to theplayback queue. For instance, this may be done by selecting an availablestream (e.g., Pandora radio station) and using the “Play Now” option onthe controller. In another instance, this may be done by selecting anintercom function on a controller or player, and then speaking into amicrophone connected to the system (e.g., microphones 422 and 516embedded into the zone player 400 or controller 500). When an audiostream is played in this way, any audio stream currently being playedmay be stopped and discarded or otherwise not received and/or played bythe system. However, the playback queue of audio tracks may not beaffected. In this example system, zones and zone groups may also playstreaming audio content.

With the example system, a user may select content for audition or putthe system into an audition mode, as previously described as playbackoptions provided when selecting a track or a streaming audio content.For example, the playback options for playing an indexed track mayinclude “Play Now”, “Play Next”, “Audition”, “Add to Queue”, and“Replace Queue,” as shown in FIG. 6A. In another example, the playbackoptions for playing streaming content may include only “Play Now” and“Audition,” as shown in FIG. 6B. In yet another example, the playbackoption may be limited to include only “Intercom”. As such, thedifferences in options may reflect the limitations associated withdifferent types of audio content, and audio content sources.

Audition mode differs from other playback options such as “Play Now”,“Play Next”, etc. because, unlike these playback options that maysubstantially and/or permanently alter the playback queue or currentaudio stream when new audio content is selected and added, audition modeis designed to temporarily interrupt or suspend the current playback ina zone or group of zones without permanently altering the existingplayback queue or audio stream. As such, in the example system, whenaudition mode is exited or terminated, the interrupted or suspendedplayback may be resumed seamlessly without significantly affecting theoriginal playback queue or audio stream.

Audition mode may be set to last for a fixed duration of time or until auser manually exits the mode. In one example, the duration of time maybe a system parameter that can be configured by the user using a userinterface on a controller. For example, the duration of time foraudition mode may be initially set at 30 seconds, but users may modifythe duration of time in increments of, for example, 15 seconds, ordecide to manually terminate the audition prior to the expiration of thetime period. In another example, the duration of time may be set to afixed value that cannot be changed by the user. For instance, contentlicensing agreements may restrict the playback time for previewingcertain premium or pay-for content.

In yet another example, audition mode may last until the content iscomplete or until the user manually exits the mode. For instance, if asingle track were selected, audition mode may end when the track isfinished or when the user exits the mode. In a further example, if atrack on a playlist was selected, the tracks of the playlist may playsequentially (or in random order, if desired) and in their entirety inaudition mode until the playlist is complete or until the user exits themode. In other words, the entire playlist may be auditioned. In yet afurther example, if a streaming radio station were selected forauditioning, audition mode may end when the stream was terminated oruntil when the user manually exits the mode.

In one example, audition mode may be selected for a zone or zone group,such as the “Family Room” zone with zone players 106 and 108, the“Bedroom” zone with zone player 112, or the zone group including boththe “Family Room” zone and the “Bedroom” zone. In one case, theselection of audition mode for a zone or zone group may be performed bythe user through one of the controller(s). In this case, the zoneplayer(s) in the zone or zone group may each store an updated statevariable that indicates the zone is in audition mode. In some instances,a zone player may know it is in audition mode based on the statevariable stored in memory at the player.

Further, in another case, the controller(s) in the system may identifythat a zone or zone group is in audition mode by querying a zone playerin the zone or zone group for the state variable. The controllers mayuse this information to display on a display screen, which may alsoprovide the controller interface, that a zone or zone group is currentlyin audition mode. In addition, the identity of the user requesting theplaying of audio content in audition mode may also be displayed on thedisplay screen.

In one example, the user requesting the playing of audio content inaudition mode may be identified and displayed for other users to see. Inone case, the user may be identified in the playback queue alongside thetrack name or in the “Now Playing” screen along with an indication thatthe zone is currently in audition mode. In another case, the user may beidentified by drilling down (e.g., double-click, touch, hover over,etc.) on the track name. Further, the user may be identified simply bythe identification of the device being used as a controller of thesystem (e.g., the device may be identified by a unique ID such as a MACaddress that has been registered in the system). For instance, asapplied to a Sonos system, the Sonos CONTROLLER or a device with a SonosController application may be registered as such a device. In anotherinstance, “Jonathan's iPhone” may be considered such a device if it isJonathan's Sonos system, for example.

B. Audition Play on Controller

In one example, the audio content may be played on the systemcontroller, which may not typically be used to playback audio in thesystem. For instance, as mentioned above, the Sonos CONTROLLER, or adevice with a Sonos Controller application (for example, a PC or MAC,iPod, iPhone, iPad, or Android mobile device) may be considered such adevice. In this instance, the audio may be played through speaker(s) onthe controller or through headphones connected wired or wirelessly tothe controller. In this example, the controller may be used to renderthe audio content in audition mode before it is played back over theprimary system playback devices (for example, the CONNECT, CONNECT:AMP,PLAY:5, and PLAY:3 audio players which are offered by Sonos, Inc. ofSanta Barbara Calif.). As such, the user may preview the audio contentbefore the audio content is played in a shared environment.

C. Audition Plays on Player or Zone(s)

In one example, the audio content may be played in a single listeningzone or a grouped listening zone, such as the “Family Room” zone withzone players 106 and 108, the “Bedroom” zone with zone player 112, orthe zone group including both the “Family Room” zone and the “Bedroom”zone, as discussed above. A single listening zone may consist of asingle zone player or a group of zone players that are bonded togetherto provide coordinated and synchronized playback in a single zone. Forinstance, two PLAY:3 devices may be bonded together to play the left andright channel of stereo audio in the “Living Room” zone of FIG. 1. Agrouped zone may combine multiple zones into a single grouped zone forsynchronized playback. For instance, a grouped zone may include zones“Living Room”, “Family Room”, and “Den.” In this instance, zone playersin the (single or grouped) zone may render the audio content in auditionmode before the audio content is played back in a greater audio sharingenvironment, which may or may not include the (single or grouped) zonesselected for audition mode.

When audition mode is selected in a grouped zone, several playbackoptions may be available. In one example, all of the players in thegrouped zone may play the audio content in audition mode in synchrony.In one case, only one zone of the grouped zones may play the audiocontent in audition mode, while the remaining zones of the grouped zoneeither remain silent or continue playing back the audio content that wasalready playing. For instance, if the “Living Room”, “Family Room”, and“Den” zones are part of a grouped zone, the content in audition mode maybe directed to play only in the “Den” zone. In another case, a singlezone player (e.g., as selected by the user) of a bonded zone may playthe audio content in audition mode. For instance, the zone playerclosest to the user may be selected to play audio content in auditionmode while the other bonded players are not impacted, remaining silentor continuing to play back what was already playing. In yet anothercase, an additional output of a zone player may be used to play theaudio content in audition mode. For instance, headphones connected to azone player may be used to playback the content in audition mode.

To further illustrate the operation of audition mode, Tables 1-4 providean example sequence of the zones and zone players of FIG. 1 entering andexiting audition mode.

TABLE 1 PLAYBACK AUDIO ZONE DEVICE PLAYBACK AUDITION MODE Office 110 —No Bathroom 114 — No Bedroom 112 — No Kitchen 102 Radio No Kitchen  130*— No Dining Room 104 Radio No Family Room 106 Radio No Family Room 108Radio No Home Theater Room 116 Movie No Home Theater Room 118 Movie NoHome Theater Room 132 Movie No Home Theater Room 120 Movie No LaundryRoom 122 — No Patio 124 — No

Table 1 provides a list of the different zones and playback devicesillustrated in FIG. 1, and the associated audio playback content andaudition mode status. In an initial state, playback devices 110 in theoffice, playback device 112 in the bedroom, playback 114 in thebathroom, playback device 122 in the laundry room, and playback device124 on the patio are not playing any audio content and are accordinglyalso not in audition mode. Playback devices 116, 118, 120, and 132 inthe home theater room may be playing the corresponding audio track to amovie being watched. In this case, because the audio track may beplaying in accordance with the movie being watched, the playback devices116, 118, 120, and 132 may be in regular mode or movie mode, but not inaudition mode.

In addition, the playback device 102 in the kitchen, playback device 104in the dining room, and playback devices 106 and 108 in the family roommay be playing radio (in the form of streaming internet radio, forexample). As described earlier, the playback device 130 is a controllerthat may also have audio playback capability. In this initial state, theuser may have chosen to exclude the controller 130 from playing theradio content, even though the controller 130 is also in the kitchenwhere playback device 102 is playing the radio content.

For the following illustration of the operation of audition mode,changes in playback by playback devices 102 and 130 in the kitchen,playback device 104 in the dining room, and playback devices 106 and 108will be discussed.

TABLE 2 AUDIO AUDITION ZONE PLAYBACK DEVICE PLAYBACK MODE Kitchen 102Music Track Yes Kitchen  130* Music Track Yes Dining Room 104 — NoFamily Room 106 Radio No Family Room 108 Radio No

As shown in Table 2, playback devices 102 and 130 in the kitchen mayenter audition mode to preview a music track. In this case, the musictrack may be a newly acquired song or album the user wishes to preview.The user may have selected (via the controller 130, for example) topreview the music track in the kitchen, including the use of thecontroller 130 as a playback device. As such, playback devices 102 and130 in the kitchen may enter audition mode for the user to preview themusic track. In this case, the dining room may be in close proximity tothe kitchen, and as a result, the playback device 104 in the dining roommay be muted so no audio playback by the playback device 104 in thedining room bleeds into the kitchen and interrupt the preview of themusic track. The muting of dining room playback device 104 in this casemay be preconfigured or manually requested by the user when enteringaudition mode.

TABLE 3 AUDIO AUDITION ZONE PLAYBACK DEVICE PLAYBACK MODE Kitchen 102Radio No Kitchen  130* — No Dining Room 104 Radio No Family Room 106Radio No Family Room 108 Radio No

As shown in Table 3, playback devices 102 and 130 in the kitchen andplayback device 104 in the dining room may have exited audition mode.Exiting audition mode, as will later be discussed, may be because apredetermined duration for audition mode, such as 15 seconds, hasexpired, because the music track has completed playback, or because theuser requested that audition mode be terminated. Whichever the case, theplayback devices 102, 130, and 104 have returned upon exiting auditionmode to their initial states as previously shown in Table 1.

Alternative to returning to the initial states as previously shown inTable 1, the user may also, while previewing to the music track inaudition mode, decide to switch the regular mode playback by playbackdevices 102, 130, and 104 to that of the music track rather than theradio, thereby exiting audition mode. As such, playback devices 102,130, and 104 may now be playing the music track in a non-audition mode.Further, as shown in Table 4, playback devices 102 and 140 in thekitchen, playback device 104 in the dining room, and playback devices106 and 108 in the family room may all be switched to a regular modeplayback of the music track. This may be the case in which afterpreviewing the music track in the kitchen, the user decides to share themusic track with everyone in the dining room and family room as well.

TABLE 4 AUDIO AUDITION ZONE PLAYBACK DEVICE PLAYBACK MODE Kitchen 102Music Track No Kitchen  130* Music Track No Dining Room 104 Music TrackNo Family Room 106 Music Track No Family Room 108 Music Track No

D. Audio Content for Audition

In the example system, audio content that is played in audition mode maycome from many different sources. This may include local content on theLocal Area Network, content on the controllers, or even “cloud-based”content from the Internet. In one case, the same sources of content maybe available in audition mode as may be available in playback mode. Inanother case, the sources of content available in audition mode may bedifferent from the content available in regular playback mode. Forinstance, audition mode may be utilized for listening to audio contentfrom a mobile phone on a temporary basis.

In one example, the audition audio content selected for audition modemay be selected from sources associated with the system. This mayinclude an indexed audio library or playlist that may be on the LocalArea Network (e.g., audio stored on a PC or MAC computer, a networkattached storage device, a docked iPod, iPhone, or iPad, or anotherwired or wireless device that has been indexed as part of the system),an indexed audio library that is stored in the “cloud” over the internet(e.g., a cloud-based audio storage such as Apple iCloud or Amazon CloudPlayer, etc.), an internet audio service that provides streaming contentover the internet (e.g., Rhapsody, Spotify, Pandora, etc.), or aninternet radio service that streams live broadcast radio. In anotherexample, the audition audio may be streamed to the Sonos system from a3rd party application such as Spotify or Facebook. In another example,the audition audio may be streamed directly from the device from whichit resides (e.g., audio stored on an iPhone, iPad, iPod, or Androiddevice).

In yet another example, the audition audio content selected for auditionmode may be selected from another listening zone that may currently beplaying the same audition audio content in regular playback mode. Forexample, the user may be playing audition audio content in audition modein the “Master Bedroom” zone that may also be currently playing in the“Living Room” zone in regular playback mode. In this example, theaudition audio content playing in audition mode in one zone may besynchronized with the playback of the same audio content in the otherzone. In one case, using audition mode to listen to audio contentcurrently being played in another zone may not require the user to groupthe zones into a zone group.

In yet another example, the audition audio content selected may be firstcaptured via a microphone (e.g., microphones 422 and 516 embedded intothe zone player 400 or controller 500 controller) and streamed directlyfrom the device where the audition audio content is captured by themicrophone. For example, a microphone on a mobile device (e.g., aniPhone, iPad, iPod, or Android device) may be used to capture and streamaudio in audition mode. In another example, a microphone may be includedon a zone player such that the audio may be captured and streamed inaudition mode.

E. Audition Mode and Playback Control

In the example system, the playback controls normally used to playcontent may be used in audition mode, and they may be reset to theregular playback mode levels after audition mode is exited orterminated. For example, the volume level may have been adjusted up ordown during playback in audition mode. As such, when the system exitsaudition mode, the volume may be returned to the original level. Inaddition, seek forward and seek backward control inputs may also beapplied during playback of a track or playlist in audition mode. Ingeneral, any of the playback controls available during normal playbackof audio content may be available during audition mode, and the regularplayback mode levels may be reset to the playback levels at the time ofentering audition mode when audition mode is exited or terminated.

F. Audition Mode and the Playback Queue

In the example system, audition mode may be configured to notpermanently affect the regular playback queue. In one example, thetrack, playlist, or streaming audio content may be displayed in the “NowPlaying” screen on the controller display screen with an indication thatthe system or specific playback device is in audition mode. In the casethat more than one controller is being used, the same information may beobtained by all controllers and may be displayed by any controller inthe system.

In another example, the track, playlist, or streaming audio content maybe temporarily added to the regular playback queue with an indicationthat the track(s) or station is currently in audition mode. In bothexamples, the state of the regular playback queue may be preserved whenentering audition mode, and may be returned to upon exiting orterminating audition mode.

E. Audition Mode and Zone Grouping

As suggested above, the zone group used to play content in audition modemay be different from the zone group used to play content in normalmode, and the zone group may be reset to the zone group used in normalmode after audition mode is exited or terminated. For example, zoneplayers shown in FIG. 1 may be playing audio content in the initialplayback state provided in Table 1, such that the kitchen, dining room,and family room are in a first regular mode zone group playing radioaudio content, and the home theater room is in a second regular modezone group playing movie audio content.

In this example, the user may wish to listen to audio content inaudition mode on each of the zone players in the home theater room, inaddition to the zone players in the family room. As such, the zoneplayers in the home theater room and the family room may form a firstaudition mode zone group, while the zone players in the kitchen anddining room may form a second audition mode zone group. In this case,the grouping of zones may be configured to return to the originalgrouping upon exiting audition mode. In other words, when audition modeis terminated, the playback of radio audio content may resume at each ofthe zone players in the first regular mode zone group including zoneplayers in the kitchen, dining room, and family room, while the playbackof movie audio content may resume at the zone players in the secondregular mode zone group including zone players in the home theater room.

VI. Example Methods for Audio Content Auditioning

In a system such as those described above, methods may be implementedsuch that a user can put the system into an “audition mode” (e.g.,quick-listen mode) as part of playback options available when selectingaudio content (e.g., music, talk radio, books, the audio fromtelevision, etc.). A method for operating the system in “audition mode”is discussed in further detail below.

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative block diagram of an example method 700 forproviding audio content auditioning, in accordance with at least someembodiments described herein. Method 700 shown in FIG. 7 presents anembodiment of a method that could be used with the systems 200, 202,204, 300, 400, and 500 for example, and may be performed by a device,such as devices illustrated in FIGS. 3-5, or components of the device.Method 700 may include one or more operations, functions, or actions asillustrated by one or more of blocks 702-710. Although the blocks areillustrated in a sequential order, these blocks may also be performed inparallel, and/or in a different order than those described herein. Also,the various blocks may be combined into fewer blocks, divided intoadditional blocks, and/or removed based upon the desired implementation.

In addition, for the method 700 and other processes and methodsdisclosed herein, the flowchart shows functionality and operation of onepossible implementation of present embodiments. In this regard, eachblock may represent a module, a segment, or a portion of program code,which includes one or more instructions executable by a processor forimplementing specific logical functions or steps in the process. Theprogram code may be stored on any type of computer readable medium, forexample, such as a storage device including a disk or hard drive. Thecomputer readable medium may include non-transitory computer readablemedium, for example, such as computer-readable media that stores datafor short periods of time like register memory, processor cache andRandom Access Memory (RAM). The computer readable medium may alsoinclude non-transitory media, such as secondary or persistent long termstorage, like read only memory (ROM), optical or magnetic disks,compact-disc read only memory (CD-ROM), for example. The computerreadable media may also be any other volatile or non-volatile storagesystems. The computer readable medium may be considered a computerreadable storage medium, for example, or a tangible storage device. Inaddition, for the method 700 and other processes and methods disclosedherein, each block in FIG. 7 may represent circuitry that is wired toperform the specific logical functions in the process.

At block 702, the method 700 includes provide a first audio content tobe rendered by a first group of one or more playback devices. Asdiscussed previously, the first audio content may be from sourcesassociated with the system, such as a discrete audio storage device, anindexed audio library or playlist on the Local Area Network or the“cloud,” or an internet service providing streaming audio content.

In one example, the first audio content may be rendered in response tothe first audio content being selected for playback or being added to aplayback queue. In one case, the first audio content may include aplayback queue of multiple audio files, which may or may not be from thesame source. The first group of one or more playback devices may be zoneplayers included in one or more zone or zone groups, as discussedpreviously. For instance, the first group of one or more playbackdevices may include zone players in the “Den” zone and “Family Room”zone, as shown in FIG. 1.

At block 704, the method 700 includes receive input data indicating arequest for a second audio content to be played for a duration of timeby at least one playback device. In one example, the at least oneplayback device may be from among the first group of one or moreplayback devices. In another example, the input data may be receivedfrom a controller like the controller 300 or 500 discussed above.Similar to the first audio content discussed in connection to block 702,the second audio content may also be from any sources associated withthe system, and may include a playback queue of multiple audio files aswell. In one case, the second audio content may be from the same sourceas the first audio content. In another case, source of the second audiocontent may be different from the source of the first audio content.

In one case, the input data indicating a request for the second audiocontent to be played for the duration of time may be received when auser wishes to play the second audio content in audition mode, aspreviously discussed. In one instance, the user may interact with acontroller interface to cause the second audio content to be played inaudition mode. As discussed previously, FIGS. 6A and 6B show a firstexample interface 600 and a second example interface 650, respectively,for initiating audio content playback, according to an embodiment of thepresent application. In one example, the first example interface 600 andsecond example interface 650 may be provided on the screens 304 and/or502 of the controllers 300 and/or 500, respectively.

As mentioned above, the first list of options 602 for playback of audiocontent may be provided for the user to choose from when the userselects the second audio content for playback. The first list of options602 may include the options of “Play Now,” “Play Next,” “Audition (30sec),” “Add to Queue,” and “Replace Queue.” This may be the case whenthe second audio content selected by the user is an indexed audio track.The second list of options 652 shown in the second example interface 650may be provided for the user to choose from when the user selects thesecond audio content for playback, and may include the options of only“Play Now” and “Audition (30 sec).” This may be the case when the secondaudio content selected by the user is streaming audio. In other words,differences in the playback options may reflect the limitationsassociated with different types of audio content. In either case, theuser may play the audio content in audition mode by selecting “Audition(30 sec).”

In one example, the duration of time for audition mode playback may be apredetermined duration. For instance, as shown in the example first listof options 602 and example second list of options 652, the duration oftime for audition mode playback may be preset at 30 seconds. In anotherinstance, the duration of time for audition mode playback may be presetat 10, 15, or 20 seconds, for example. In yet another instance, if thesecond audio content is an indexed audio track, the duration of time foraudition mode playback may be configured to be the full length of theaudio track, for example, such that the entire audio track may beplayed. Similarly, the duration of time for audition mode may also beconfigured to be half or quarter of the length of the second audiocontent, for example. In these instances, the duration of time may beconfigured by the user when configuring the system. The duration of timefor audition mode playback may further vary between playback devicesand/or controllers within the system.

Further, the duration of time for audition mode playback may refer tothe full length of audition mode, or the duration for which to play eachaudio file within a playback queue. For instance, a duration of time of15 seconds may be set such that while in audition mode, each audio filein the queue representing the second audio content is rendered for 15seconds before moving on to the next audio file in the queue.

In a further example, the user may be prompted via the controllerinterface to indicate the duration of time when the user selects thesecond audio content for audition mode playback. In one case, the systemmay also be configured such that audition mode lasts the duration oftime, or until the user wishes to exit audition mode, and indicates assuch via the controller interface.

In addition to indicating the request to playing the second audiocontent for the duration of time, the input data received at block 704of the method 700 may also indicate at least one playback device forplaying the second audio content. The at least one playback device maybe zone players in a zone or a zone group, as previously discussed. Inone case, the zone or zone group within which zone players will play thesecond audio content may be selected by the user via the controllerinterface. In this case, the user may be prompted via the controllerinterface to indicate the zone player, zone, or zone group when the userselects the second audio content for audition mode playback. In oneexample, the at least one playback device may be one of the one or moreplayback devices playing the first audio content. Upon entering auditionmode, the controller interface may provide an indication of which zoneplayers, zones, or zone groups are in audition mode, and further, whataudio content is being played the corresponding audition mode.

At block 706, the method 700 includes suspending rendering of the firstaudio content by the at least one playback device. As mentioned in theexample above, the at least one playback device may be one of the one ormore playback devices playing the first audio content. As such, playbackof the first audio content by the at least one playback device may besuspended before playback of the second audio content by the at leastone playback device.

Suspending playback of the first audio content by the at least oneplayback device may involve pausing playback of the first audio contentor muting playback of the first audio content. Determining whether topause or mute playback of the first audio content may depend ondetermining whether the first audio content can be paused. For instance,if the first audio content is an indexed track, suspending the firstaudio content may involve pausing the indexed track. On the other hand,if the first audio content is received in the form of an audio streamfrom the internet, the first audio content may not be able to be paused.Accordingly, suspending the first audio content may require muting theaudio stream. Alternative to muting the first audio content if the firstaudio content is an audio stream from the internet, for example, thefirst audio content may also be buffered, such that the first audiocontent may be effectively “paused.” In one example, the buffering ofthe first audio content may be configured to last the as long as thefirst audio content is muted. In this case where the muted audio streamis also buffered, the first audio content may be effectively considereda paused audio content for the purposes of audition mode entering andexiting.

In another instance, the at least one playback device may be a zoneplayer in a zone with other zone players playing the first audiocontent. In this instance, the other zone players may not have beenselected to play the second audio content in audition mode. For example,in the “Home Theater” zone shown in FIG. 1, each of the zone players116, 118, 120, and 132 may have been playing the first audio content,but only zone player 120 was selected to play the second audio contentin audition mode. In this instance, suspending playback of the firstaudio content by the at least one playback device may involve pausing ormuting the playback of the first audio content by zone player 120, whilealso reducing the playback volume of the other zone players in the “HomeTheater” zone 116, 118, and 132. In another instance, the zone player120 may pause or mute playback of the first audio content, while theother zone players in the “Home Theater” zone 116, 118, and 132 continueplaying normally.

On the other hand, if the non-selected playback devices in the firstgroup of one or more playback devices are not in the same zone or zonegroup of the selected at least one playback device to render the secondaudio content, the non-selected playback devices may continue to renderthe first audio content without suspension. In either instance, uponsuspending playback of the first audio content by the at least oneplayback device, audition mode playback of the second audio content bythe at least one playback device may occur.

At block 708, the method 700 includes providing the second audio contentto be rendered by the at least one playback device for the duration oftime. In one example, the second audio content may be rendered by the atleast one playback device in a similar manner as the first audio contentwas rendered by the at least one playback device. In other words, savefor the predetermined time duration, rendering of the second audiocontent in audition mode may be substantially the same as rendering ofthe first audio content. Further, playback options and controls, such asvolume control or equalization available during a regular mode ofplayback may also be available in audition mode playback.

In one case, the second audio content selected for playback in auditionmode may be presently rendered by a second group of one or more playbackdevices. In this case, providing the second audio content to be renderedby the at least one playback device for the duration of time may involvesynchronizing the rendering of the second audio content by the at leastone playback device with the second audio content rendered by the secondgroup of one or more playback devices.

For example, referring to FIG. 1, zone players 106 and 108 in the“Family Room” zone may be rendering the second audio content in aregular mode of playback, while zone player 112 in the “Bedroom” zonemay be rendering the first audio content in a regular mode of playback.In one case, if the user requests the playback of the second audiocontent in audition mode by the zone player 112, the audition modeplayback of the second audio content by the zone player 112 in the“Bedroom” zone may be synchronized with the playback of the second audiocontent by the zone players 106 and 108 in the “Family Room” zone.

At block 710, the method 700 includes resuming rendering of the firstaudio content by the at least one playback device. In one example, oncethe at least one playback device exits audition mode, whether due tocompletion of the second audio content, expiration of the duration oftime, or at the request of the user, the at least one playback devicemay resume rendering the first audio content.

In one case, resuming rendering of the first audio content may includereverting audio playback settings for rendering the first audio contentprior to the playback of the second audio content in audition mode. Forinstance, a volume level and/or equalization may have been adjustedduring playback of the second audio content in audition mode. In thisinstance, when playback of the first audio content by the at least oneplayback device is resumed, the volume level and/or equalization may bereverted back to the levels prior to the playback of the second audiocontent in audition mode.

As discussed previously, playback of the first audio content may besuspended by pausing or muting the first audio content by the at leastone playback device when rendering the second audio content. In the casethe first audio content was paused, resuming playback of first audiocontent may involve resuming playback of the first audio content fromwhere the first audio content was paused. In the case the first audiocontent was muted, resuming playback of the first audio content mayinvolve unmuting the first audio content.

In either case, other playback devices in the first group of one or moreplayback devices may have continued to render the first audio contentwhile the at least one playback device rendered the second audio contentin audition mode. In this case, resuming rendering of the first audiocontent by the at least one playback device may further involvesynchronizing the first audio content rendered by the at least oneplayback device with the first audio content rendered by the playbackdevices in the first group of one or more playback devices other thanthe at least one playback device. This synchronization may be providedto ensure seamless transition between audition mode playback and othermodes of playback.

In an example, referring to FIG. 1, zone players 106 and 108 in the“Family Room” zone, and zone player 112 in the “Bedroom” zone may be ina zone group rendering the first audio content. Zone player 112 may thenbe selected to render the second audio content in audition mode and mayhave paused the first audio content, while zone players 106 and 108continue to render the first audio content. Upon exiting audition mode,zone player 112 may resume playback of the first audio content. However,instead of resuming from where the first audio content was paused, zoneplayer 112 may synchronize playback of the first audio content with theplayback of the first audio content of zone player 106 and 108 for anoptimized aural experience in which playback of the first audio contentby zone players in a zone group are synchronized.

In addition to resuming playback of the first audio content upon exitingaudition mode playback of the second audio content, an option may alsobe provided for switching the playback of the second audio content inaudition mode to a regular mode. In this case, playback devices playingthe first audio content may switch to playing the second audio contentin synchrony with the playback of the second audio content by the atleast one playback device, previously in audition mode.

Based on the discussions above, one of ordinary skill in the art mayalso appreciate that audition playback modes may be implemented andutilized with flexibility. For example, additional audio content may beadded to the first audio content (original playback queue) and/or thesecond audio content (audition playback queue) while in audition mode.In other words, audio content, such as the second audio content (eitherthe entire audition playback queue or files in the audition playbackqueue) or other audio content may be added to the original playbackqueue while the second audio content is being rendered audition mode.Similarly, additional audio content may be added to the second audiocontent (audition playback queue) while the second audio content isbeing rendered in audition mode.

VII. Example Configurations of Audition Mode

As discussed above, FIG. 7 provides an example method 700 for providingaudio content auditioning. To further illustrate features of auditionmode and implementations of the method 700, audio playbackconfigurations when entering and exiting audition mode are discussed infurther detail below.

A. Audio Playback Configurations when Entering Audition Mode

In the example system, audition mode may be requested when audio contentis already playing on zone players in one or more zones or zone groupsin the system. In one case, the audio that is currently playing in thesystem may continue to play without effect. This may occur, for example,if audition mode is playing content on a controller that was not alreadybeing used for playback. This may also occur, for example, if auditionmode is used in a zone that was not currently playing audio content,even though other zones in the system may have been playing audiocontent. For instance, if audio content is currently being played in the“Living Room” zone and the “Family Room” zone, but not in the “Den”zone, then audition mode can be requested in the “Den” zone without anyeffect on the audio content playback in the “Living Room” zone and the“Family Room” zone.

In another case, the audio content that is currently playing in thesystem may be paused while the new audition audio content is played inaudition mode. This may occur, for example, if the audition mode hasbeen requested for a (single or grouped) zone that is currently playingaudio content that may be paused or stopped, and resumed or restarted.In yet another case, the audio content that is currently playing in thesystem may be effectively muted while the new audio content is played inaudition mode. This may occur, for example, if audition mode has beenrequested for a (single or grouped) listening zone play that iscurrently playing audio content that cannot be paused or stopped, andresumed or restarted. This may also occur, for example, when zoneplayers in a zone of the grouped zones plays the audition audio contentin audition mode while zone players in the remaining zones of thegrouped zones continue to play audio content in regular playback mode.In this example, continuing to stream the audio in regular playback modeto the zone that is playing back audition audio content in auditionmode, even though the audio stream will not be played while the zone isin audition mode, may have the advantage that the zone can quicklyrejoin the grouped zones in audio synchrony after audition mode isexited or terminated. As such, it can be appreciated that in some cases,multiple “auditions” may occur at the same time in different zones orzone groups in a system.

To further illustrate configuring audio playing while using auditionmode, FIG. 8A shows an illustrative example flow chart 800 for beginningaudio content auditioning. As shown, the flow chart block diagramincludes action blocks 802, 804, 810, 814, and 816, and determinationblocks 806, 808, and 812.

At action block 802, audition audio content may be selected and added tobe auditioned. As discussed above, the audition audio content may be anindexed track or an audio stream from a variety of audio sources. Ataction block 804, a playback device, such as a zone player, or a groupof zone players in a listening zone or zone group may be selected forplaying the audition audio content in audition mode. At determinationblock 806, a determination is made as to whether the playback deviceselected at action block 804 is already playing audio content, such asmusic. If the selected playback device is not currently playing audiocontent, then the system proceeds to action block 816 to play theaudition audio content with the selected playback device.

If the selected playback device is in fact currently playing audiocontent, the system proceeds to determination block 808 to determinewhether the selected playback device is part of a zone group. Atdetermination block 808, if the selected playback device is part of azone group, the system may proceed to action block 810 to mute the audiocontent already playing before proceeding to action block 816 to playthe audition audio content with the selected playback device. If thedetermination at block 808 is that the selected playback device is notpart of a zone group, the system may proceed to determination block 812to determine whether the audio content already being played by theselected playback device can be paused. As discussed above, if audiocontent that cannot be paused (audio streaming from the internet, forexample), but can be buffered, the audio content may effectively beconsidered audio content that can be paused.

At determination block 812, if the audio content already playing can bepaused, the system may proceed to action block 814 to pause the audiocontent that is already playing before proceeding to action block 816 toplay the audition audio content with the selected playback device. Onthe other hand, if the determination at block 812 is that the audiocontent already playing cannot be paused, the system may proceed toaction block 810 to mute the audio content that is already playingbefore proceeding to action block 816 to play the audition audio contentwith the selected playback device.

B. Audio Playback Configurations when Exiting Audition Mode

As previously described, when the example system exits audition mode,the system may return the system to the state the system was in beforeentering audition mode. In one example, the audio content that waspaused when entering audition mode may be restarted for playback. Inanother example, the audio content that was muted when entering auditionmode may be unmuted and played at its original volume level. In bothexamples, a seamless transition back to regular playback mode afteraudition mode is exited or terminated may be provided.

FIG. 8B shows an illustrative example flow chart for terminating audiocontent auditioning or exiting audition mode. As shown, the flow chartblock diagram includes action blocks 852, 858, 862, 864, 866, and 868,and determination blocks 854, 856, and 860.

At action block 852, audition mode playback of the audition audiocontent is terminated. In one example, audition mode may be exited orterminated upon completion of the audition audio content, expiration ofthe predetermined duration of time for audition mode, or in response toa request from the user to terminate or exit audition mode.

At determination block 854, determination is made as to whether theaudition mode playback device was previously playing audio content priorto entering audition mode. If the playback device is determined to nothave been previously playing audio content prior to entering auditionmode, the system may simply proceed to action block 866 of terminatingaudio content playback by the system or specific playback device.

If, at determination block 854, the playback device is determined tohave been previously playing audio content, the system may proceed todetermination block 856 to determine whether the previously played audiocontent was paused when the system entered audition mode. If thepreviously played audio content is determined to not have been paused,the system may proceed to action block 858 to unmute the previouslyplayed audio content before proceeding to action block 868 to continueto cause the audition mode playback device to render the previouslyplayed audio content. Naturally, in this case, the system was configuredto suspend audio content playback by either pausing or muting thepreviously played audio content.

If, at determination block 856, the playback device is determined tohave been paused, the system may then proceed to determination block 860to determine whether the audition mode playback device was part of azone player group. If the determination at determination block 860indicates that the audition mode playback device was not part of a zoneplayer group, then the system may proceed to action block 862 to resumethe previously played audio content from where it was paused beforeproceeding to action block 868 to continue to cause the audition modeplayback device to render the previously played audio content.

On the other hand, if the determination at determination block 860indicates that the audition mode playback device was in fact part of azone player group, the system may proceed to action block 864 tosynchronize the previously played audio content by the audition modeplayback device with the audio content played by the other zone playersin the zone player group before proceeding to action block 868 tocontinue to cause the audition mode playback device to render thepreviously played audio content.

In one example, the synchronization may be performed such that the audiocontent played by the other zone players in the zone player group isrewound to be in synchrony with the paused audio content previouslyplayed by the audition mode playback device. In another example, thesynchronization may be performed such that the paused audio contentpreviously played by the audition mode playback device is fast forwardedto by in synchrony with the audio content played by the other zoneplayers in the zone player group, which continued to render thepreviously played audio content while the audio mode playback device wasin audition mode.

While in audition mode, the example system may be configured such thatthe user may request via the controller interface audio content to beadded to the regular mode playback queue upon exiting audition mode. Inone example, the user may select using the interface on the controller,audio content currently playing in audition mode to be added to theregular playback queue upon exiting audition mode. In another example,the user may create using the interface on the controller a new auditionplayback queue of audio content in audition mode, such that the auditionplayback queue may be combined with the regular playback queue uponexiting audition mode. The audio content of the audition queue may becombined with the regular playback queue in many ways. For instance,audition audio content from the audition playback queue may be added atthe beginning of the regular playback queue, at the end of the regularplayback queue, inserted at random within the regular playback queue, oreven replace the regular playback queue altogether, as shown above inTable 4.

In some cases, the audio content may be added to the regular playbackqueue at the beginning of the regular playback queue during auditionmode playback such that the added audio content continues to playwithout interruption in the regular playback queue, even upon exitingthe audition mode. In other words, the example system may be configuredsuch that the user may request the complete playback of music or audiocontent in audition mode, before exiting audition mode, and withoutadding the music or audio content to the playback queue. Suchconfigurations may be applicable if the audition mode playback involvesrendering streaming audio content.

VIII. Conclusion

As discussed above, systems and methods are provided to offer a uniquewired, wireless, or both wired and wireless audio solution that allowsaudio content to be played in a single listening zone or across multiplelistening zones simultaneously and in synchrony.

In one example, a method is provided that comprises providing a firstaudio content to be rendered by a first group of one or more playbackdevices, receiving input data indicating a request for a second audiocontent to be played for a duration of time by at least one playbackdevice from the first group of one or more playback devices, suspendingrendering of the first audio content by the at least one playbackdevice, providing the second audio content to be rendered by the atleast one playback device for the duration of time, and resumingrendering of the first audio content by the at least one playbackdevice.

In another example, a device is provided. The device includes aprocessor and memory. The memory includes instructions stored thereinexecutable by the processor to perform functions. The performedfunctions comprise providing a first audio content to be rendered by afirst group of one or more playback devices, receiving input dataindicating a request for a second audio content to be played for aduration of time by at least one playback device from the first group ofone or more playback devices, suspending rendering of the first audiocontent by the at least one playback device, providing the second audiocontent to be rendered by the at least one playback device for theduration of time, and resuming rendering of the first audio content bythe at least one playback device.

In yet another example, a system is provided. The system includes one ormore audio content sources, one or more audio playback devices, acontroller, and a processing unit in communication with the audiocontent source, the one or more audio playback device, and thecontroller. The processing unit is configured to cause a first group ofone or more playback devices to render a first audio content from theone or more audio content sources. The processing unit is furtherconfigured to receive from the controller input data indicating arequest for a second audio content from the one or more audio contentsources to be played for a duration of time by at least one playbackdevice from the first group of one or more playback devices, cause oneor more of the playback devices from the first group of one or moreplayback devices to suspend rendering of the first audio content, causethe at least one playback device to render the second audio content forthe duration of time, and cause the one or more of the playback devicesfrom the first group of one or more playback devices to resume renderingof the first audio content.

The description discloses various example systems, methods, apparatus,and articles of manufacture including, among other components, firmwareand/or software executed on hardware. However, such examples are merelyillustrative and should not be considered as limiting. For example, itis contemplated that any or all of these firmware, hardware, and/orsoftware components could be embodied exclusively in hardware,exclusively in software, exclusively in firmware, or in any combinationof hardware, software, and/or firmware. Accordingly, while the followingdescribes example systems, methods, apparatus, and/or articles ofmanufacture, the examples provided are not the only way(s) to implementsuch systems, methods, apparatus, and/or articles of manufacture.

Additionally, reference herein to “embodiment” means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment can be included in at least one example embodiment of theinvention. The appearances of this phrase in various places in thespecification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment,nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of otherembodiments. As such, the embodiments described herein, explicitly andimplicitly understood by one skilled in the art, can be combined withother embodiments.

The specification is presented largely in terms of illustrativeenvironments, systems, procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, andother symbolic representations that directly or indirectly resemble theoperations of data processing devices coupled to networks. These processdescriptions and representations are typically used by those skilled inthe art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to othersskilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth to provide athorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it isunderstood to those skilled in the art that certain embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be practiced without certain, specific details.In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, andcircuitry have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring aspects of the embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of thepresent disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than theforgoing description of embodiments.

When any of the appended claims are read to cover a purely softwareand/or firmware implementation, at least one of the elements in at leastone example is hereby expressly defined to include a tangible mediumsuch as a memory, DVD, CD, Blu-ray, and so on, storing the softwareand/or firmware.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: providing a firstaudio content to be rendered by a first group of one or more playbackdevices; receiving input data indicating (a) a request for a secondaudio content to be played for a duration of time by at least oneplayback device from the first group of one or more playback devices and(b) the at east one playback device for playing the second audiocontent; suspending rendering of the first audio content by the at leastone playback device; providing the second audio content to be renderedby the at least one playback device for the duration of time; andresuming rendering of the first audio content by the at least oneplayback device.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein suspending renderingof the first audio content by the at least one playback device furthercomprises determining whether the first audio content can be paused. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein suspending rendering of the first audiocontent by the at least one playback device comprises pausing renderingby the first group of one or more playback devices.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein suspending rendering of the first audio content by theat least one playback device comprises muting the rendering of the firstaudio content by the at least one playback device.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein playback devices in the first group of one or moreplayback devices other than the at least one playback device continue torender the first audio content.
 6. The method of claim 5, whereinresuming rendering of the first audio content by the at least oneplayback device comprises synchronizing the first audio content renderedby the at least one playback device with the first audio contentrendered by the playback devices in the first group of one or moreplayback devices other than the at least one playback device.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first audio content comprises a queue ofmultiple audio files.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing afirst audio content to be rendered by a first group of one or moreplayback devices comprises receiving a stream of audio.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the duration of time is a predetermined duration. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein the duration of time is the duration ofthe second audio content.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the inputdata further comprises data indicating the duration of time.
 12. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the second audio content is presentlyrendered by a second group of one or more playback devices, and whereinproviding the second audio content to be rendered by the at least oneplayback device for the duration of time comprises synchronizing therendering of the second audio content by the at least one playbackdevice with the second audio content rendered by the second group of oneor more playback devices.
 13. A device comprising: a processor; andmemory including instructions stored therein executable by the processorto perform functions comprising: providing a first audio content to berendered by a first group of one or more playback devices; receivinginput data indicating (a) a request for a second audio content to beplayed for a duration of time by at least one playback device from thefirst group of one or more playback devices and (b) the at least oneplayback device for playing the second audio content; suspendingrendering of the first audio content by the at least one playbackdevice; providing the second audio content to be rendered by the atleast one playback device for the duration of time; and resumingrendering of the first audio content by the at least one playbackdevice.
 14. The device of claim 13, wherein playback devices in thefirst group of one or more playback devices other than the at least oneplayback device continue to render the first audio content.
 15. Thedevice of claim 13, wherein the second audio content is presentlyrendered by a second group of one or more playback devices, and whereinproviding the second audio content to be rendered by the at least oneplayback device for the duration of time comprises synchronizing therendering of the second audio content by the at least one playbackdevice with the second audio content rendered by the second group of oneor more playback devices.
 16. The device of claim 13, wherein providinga first audio content to be rendered by a first group of one or moreplayback devices comprises receiving a stream of audio.
 17. A systemcomprising: one or more audio content sources; one or more audioplayback devices; a controller; and a processing unit in communicationwith the one or more audio content sources, the one or more audioplayback devices, and the controller, wherein the processing unit isconfigured to: cause a first group of one or more playback devices torender a first audio content from the one or more audio content sources;receive from the controller input data indicating (a) a request for asecond audio content from the one or more audio content sources to beplayed for a duration of time by at least one playback device from thefirst group of one or more playback devices and (b) the at least oneplayback device for playing the second audio content; cause one or moreof the playback devices from the first group of one or more playbackdevices to suspend rendering of the first audio content; cause the atleast one playback device to render the second audio content for theduration of time; and cause the one or more of the playback devices fromthe first group of one or more playback devices to resume rendering ofthe first audio content.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the firstaudio content is from a first audio content source of the one or moreaudio content sources and the second audio content is from a secondaudio content source of the one or more audio content sources.
 19. Thesystem of claim 17, wherein one of the one or more audio playbackdevices is also the controller.
 20. The system of claim 17, wherein theprocessing unit is further configured to: receive from the controllernew input data indicating a request to terminate rendering of the secondaudio content; cause the at least one playback device to terminaterendering of the second audio content; and cause the one or more of theplayback devices from the first group of one or more playback devices toresume rendering of the first audio content.